Painting Diesels

You are asking a for a lot. No one is perfect.

Have you tried it yourself?????????????????????????

t610

No I have not tried it. I know better. I meant commercial grade as opposed to an  amateur effort.

Ron

Ron H,

Perfection is not cheap. Try Harry Heike.

"Pappy"

David Long of Kelly Creek Backshop (pelicanrider@gmail.com)

His work can be seen here: ATSF Mikados by Kelly Creek Backshop

Ask Erik C. Lindgren; these are his Mikados.

Long, David
1627 W. Main St.
PMB 252
Bozeman, MT 59715
United States of America
Bus: (406) 585-0024
E-mail: pelicanrider@gmail.com
First Name: David
Full Name: David Long

No such thing as perfection, especially when duplicating the look of stainless steel.  You need to find someone familiar with the Alclad paints.

I used Testor's buffable stainless, with first a top coat of Future Floor Wax, then Scalecoat clear, which can be rubbed out with auto polishing compound.  I came close, but it is nowhere near perfect.

You yourself!!

Not being smart.....but most folks should be able to do it.

I do a lot of repainting of locos and cars.

I am no 'expert' or 'pro' but think I do OK......any one can do it if I do.

All these were painted by myself. All are done with spray cans as I am lazy. I own two nice airbrushes but 30 minute clean up for a 5 minute spray job makes no sense.

I have been asked a number of times to do work for others. Even at my level of skill  99.9% of folks are not willing, and I can't justify, what I'd have to charge to do custom work. TIME is the major factor......paint is a drop in the bucket......time and labor is the cost. So if you can do it yourself.....a perfect job is cheap!

I want the warbonnet red nose parts of the new Lionel Alco PAs I've bought to be shiny like a new alco. The stainless I'm not worried about because it took on a patina almost immediately over the road.

Dave, your work is splendid. I can paint well enough, but this is different.

These Lionel shells are painted not decaled.

Thanks for the suggestions. 

If you clear coat any silver paint it WILL darken it. Probably the thing to do if you want really shiny silver sides is paint by airbrush with alclad two part paint system. 

Harry Heike does superior work.  I would not hesitate to send my stuff to Harry.

Rob

Well, I ordered the Alcald paint and primer. I bought a 1 oz bottle of the stailness steel color thinking I could paint two Weaver E8s. I could not get even a 1/2 coat of one 8 when I ran out of paint. So I bought a one ounce bottle of Tru-Paint. A 1 oz bottle covered both E8s with a little to spare. I will weather down the color somit matches the Atlas cars.

Dick

I once asked almost the same ? a  decade or so back as all plastic models are flat finish and I wanted the shine one gets with original scalecoat paints. I got back answers that trains didn't come from GM or GE with a shine in the paint. I thought these people never saw a new engine in their lives as like autos the finish were most always covered with a glossy shine. Now that I like older weathered units a flat finish is one step closer to my desires other than maybe a newer engine that is now dirty on the upper surfaces and still carries a shine on the sides.

Phil  

Phil, you hit the nail on the head. Shiny on the sides and sun faded with some dust and road film on the top is exactly what I want.

Bob2, can you tell me more about spraying scale coat clear and then rubbing it out.

Have you tried it on something other than stainless ? Will light coats orange peel?

Thanks,

Ron